Landmark Supreme Court battle win for homeless mother

Councils looking to place homeless families outside of their areas will be affected following one homeless mothers Supreme Court battle win.

There was a unanimous ruling in favour of a mother of five fighting Westminster Council last Thursday which could affect how councils relocate homeless families, reports Inside Housing.

In November 2012, Ms Nzolameso and her five children had refused an offer of accommodation in Milton Keynes from Westminster stating that it was not suitable for her to leave her support network or for her children to move schools and on health grounds.

Following a period in a local hotel Westminster Council stopped housing Ms Nzolameso and placed all of her five children into foster care. Her lawyers have said that Ms Nzolameso had been staying with a friend pending the result from the Supreme Court Case and is currently in a separate legal battle to get her children back.

In a statement the Supreme Court said: "Given the need for arrangements to be made for the family involved, the court is making its decision known immediately."

Daniel Astaire, Westminster Council's cabinet member for housing, said: "We are extremely disappointed by the Supreme Court's ruling in this case, the full implications of which will not be clear until the Court hands down its detailed decision."

Government statistics reveal that at the end of September 2014 15,260 households were in temporary accommodation in another local authority's area, representing an increase of 29% on September 2013.

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